1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to poly(hetero-arylene vinylene)s having a high conductivity, as well as to highly conductive compositions comprising said polymer and a dopant. These compositions are useful as a conductive polymer material.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Of the poly(hetero-arylene vinylene)s of the present invention, a poly(2,5-thienylene vinylene) is already popular as a straight chain conjugated polymer. It is known that this poly(2,5-thienylene vinylene) can be synthesized according to, for example, the Wittig reaction wherein a diphosphonium salt and a dialdehyde are reacted [Macromol. Chem., 182, 3419 (1981); Macromol. Chem., 131, 15 (1970)]. It is further known that the polymer, when measured for its conductivity, is an insulator or semiconductor of at best 10.sup.-8 S/cm or below.
A poly(2,5-furandiyl vinylene) is also popular as a straight chain conjugated polymer. It is known that this polymer can be synthesized according to, for example, a self-condensation reaction of 5-methylfuran-2-carbo-aldehyde using a base as a catalyst [Macromol. Chem., 182, 3419 (1981)].
Conductive compositions comprising one of the above polymers in powder form and an electron acceptor or donor as a dopant are proposed in European Patent Application (Laid-Open) No. 0101808.
The conventionally known poly(hetero-arylene vinylene)s mentioned above are produced in a powder form; these polymers except those of low polymerization degree are insoluble and infusible; accordingly, it is virtually impossible to process them into a film or fiber and no useful molded article has been obtained from them even by using a special powder molding method. The conductive compositions mentioned above have a low conductivity of 10.sup.-3 S/cm or below making them insufficient for practical application. Moreover, these compositions have a powder form.